The Infliction
by RosaliexHalexx
Summary: I knew that there were two main things that were going on in my life: 1. Edward ran away as his act of rebellion. 2. Would Esme really be the love that I've waited centuries for?


I sped through the streets of Rochester, New York, trying to be on time to my appointment. A boy's legs had been cut off by an oncoming train. He was tied up and left to die, until at the last second, he got his upper body away from it. I walked rapidly into the hospital and got to the receptionist's desk, "Dr. Carlisle Cullen." I said.

She looked up at me with her brilliant blue eyes. "Ah, yes, room B 231."

"Thank you." I said politely. It's been forty- two years that I've worked in the hospital and it took me two centuries to get over the smell of human blood. If I smelled what I'm so used to now after the accident, I would've gone insane.

I walked into the operating room with my surgical mask on along with the surgical tools in hand. We then got to work, chopping off the legs, cutting off the nerves, then tying the skin pieces to prevent infection. "Alright, looks like we're done," I told my co-workers, "Great job everyone!"

They all clapped and cheered at the thought that they were finally done, and could go home to their wives and children. I looked down at the thought; I knew I would never in a million years - no pun intended- would find anyone who loved me for what I am. My co- workers left, leaving me in the dark room with the boy. "Well, I guess you don't want to spend the night in an operating room." I laughed in spite of myself -by God I have gone crazy. Look at me talking to a patient who's not even awake. I wheeled him out of the room, and put him in the sleeping quarters for the rest of the night technically morning, since it's now 3 A.M.

I walked down the stairs and to my right. "Thank you,"

I told the receptionist named Esmé, smiling slightly. She took a deep breath in - her heart racing, "You're welcome," she gasped. Wow, I guess I do have a great effect on people. Was it my charming British accent or my looks? Or possibly the fear that I might one day kill her.

I jumped up on my horse and galloped him away from the hospital. When I came around to the courtyard, I slowed the horse down to a trot. The courtyard was full of shrubberies, lilies, red roses, and irises. In the middle was a large fountain with water slowly trickling down the cold marble stone. I took the gleaming black horse back into his stall and removed his tack. I then walked back to the house, the cream colored gravel crunching under my feet. I opened the large, green door. There was a grand staircase that slowly descended down, with a grand piano in the center of the entrance. Towards the back of the house were two large windows with long, olive green draperies. The full moon caused a faint light that cascaded from the windows. I walked toward the stairs on the old, scratched up cherry wood floors. As I ascended the stairs, I saw all the awards and certificates I had received for becoming a good doctor. I turned left and went into my study. My father's cross was in the very back of the room. It reminded me of him every day. I missed him in some ways that are indescribable, in other ways; not one bit. He was the one that hunted for vampires, making them fear being on the streets of London. I wondered what my father would've done if he found out that I was a vampire, instead of the son he thought he had... I shook off the thought. I took my match and lit the wick of the candle, I took out my Encyclopedia of Medicine.

Three hours later, it was time to get back to work. I ran to the hospital, letting my horse rest after a night of wild galloping. I then got to the entrance and stopped behind Esmé. How I loved to play minor jokes on her. "Boo!" I silently said right into her ear. She jumped so high in her seat that I thought she would touch the ceiling. I chuckled silently behind her. She turned around and gave me an evil glare.

"I've should've known it was you, Cullen!" she smiled playfully.

"Oh what can I say? It's my hobby."

She laughed in the way that a brook trickles down its rocks. I smiled at her and said, "Well I have some business to attend to, after what happened last night." I then noticed the bags under her eyes. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry! you look awfully tired! You must go and get some rest! I'll call in the woman who has the next..."

"Oh! No, no! You don't have to do that! I'm perfectly fine! Though, I'm kind of worried about _you_, Carlisle."

"You are? How so?"

"You always look so worn out. The way you have dark bruises under your eyes... it looks like you haven't slept in centuries..." She sputtered, while gazing deeply into my golden eyes.

"Well, I only had three hours of sleep, so I guess that's why." I said immediately, hoping she won't question further. "And, hey, I feel bad having that much sleep. _You, _on the other hand had zero."

"Well it's my job: I have to stay up all night. Besides, I only have two more hours, and I'm actually not tired at all."

"Oh, alright then. Have a lovely day, Esmé."

"You do as well, Carlisle."

I walked away, thinking about her clear blue eyes in the contrast with her olive skin and light brown hair. Oh, she was beautiful. I walked into the room of the boy who's legs were chopped off. He was sitting upright and alert. "Hello, how do we seem to be doing today?" I asked him casually.

"It doesn't hurt really, just a bit of a twinge every once in a while." the boy said.

"Hmm, alright, may I ask you what your name is?"

"My name is Patrick and I'm seventeen years old. The truth is, I wasn't really tied up on purpose...I was dared to lay down on the tracks and stay there until I chickened out. I'm really sorry..."

"Patrick, you were the one who made the decision. Please, don't apologize to me, apologize to yourself. It was your own fault that your legs were amputated. You're going to have to deal with that for the rest of your life."

"I understand, sir," he sighed softly.

"So, because of that decision, you're now going to be in a wheelchair, and your capabilities, young man, are now limited. You're now never going to be able to walk or run again- sorry to be presumptuous. But you know what the amazing thing is though?"

"What's that?"

"When one part of your body is shutdown, the rest of the body picks up the slack, it's truly amazing."

He kept staring at me curiously with his deep, black eyes, with his dark brown hair slicked to one side. "Sorry I don't seem to understand what you're saying." Patrick said.

"Ok, let me clarify, you can pretty much be a normal boy, but you won't have legs. I'd say work on your upper body strength, to keep yourself healthy. Okay?"

"Sounds good, sir."

"Great, you'll be out of the hospital tomorrow, enjoy your day!" I shook my head kids now a days, you never know what they're going to think of next. I walked back to Esmé's desk "So how'd it go with your patient?" Esmé asked

"It went well. The poor kid was playing a game with his pals, and the train got to close, and so he didn't have enough time to slip away." I shook my head. " So what are you thinking about doing after your shift ends?"

"Oh I don't know, I guess I'll go on a hike up this mountain that I've always wanted to climb."

"Hm, sounds fun, would you mind some accompaniment?" Wait, what was I thinking?! I had a whole schedule of appointments! Plus she's human, and she'd most surely find out and run away.

"Actually, I'm thinking about going on my own, thank you though." She smiled the smile that I love most: a closed smile with her eyes looking up at me. It made me tingle a little, and I smiled back.

"Well I best be on my way!" Carlisle said, trying to act enthused, "Enjoy your stroll!"

"Oh I shall." And with that, we went our separate ways. For the next five hours, I got my appointments and checkups all done. Until, I saw her rushed on the gurney. "Oh my God! What's going on! What happened?!" I screamed at my co-workers. Her mouth was open, her skin pale.

"She fell off a cliff, she's almost dead." Mr. Fisher, my co-worker, said.

"No, this can't be happening!" I searched for ideas on how to fix her... none of them seemed to be good enough except... "Everyone leave the room! I don't want anyone near the door! I want everyone far away! Don't come near here!" Everyone filed out immediately, and the room that was once full of chaos was now quiet. I knelt down by her bed, her heat radiating on my skin. I put my lips against her throat. "Please don't hate me for this. I love you so much," I whispered. Her smell was overwhelming my senses. One...two...three.... I bit down - hard into her skin. Her blood shot through my mouth, the taste- indescribable. I knew I had to stop but I couldn't. I haven't tasted human blood in all my years of living.

She started screaming; I jumped back, startled. She convulsed and shook violently, screaming as loud as she could. I ran to the door and locked it. Thank God no one was around. I sat on the other bed watching her. I put my face into my hands "Esmé I am so sorry I inflicted this upon you."

Several hours later, she stopped screaming and shaking. It's over, she's now a vampire. I went to her side. "Esmé?"

She opened her eyes slowly. I gasped at her dark red eyes. She looked over at me. " What has happened to me?" She asked.

"Esmé, you were about to die from falling off a cliff, I had to do this to you."

In a firmer voice she said, "Carlisle, what have you done to me?"

I sighed and decided to go ahead and tell her," Esmé, I turned you into a vampire."

She looked at me incredulously.

"Now you can leave me and run away or you can live with me and be my wife." He said in a reasonable voice and stood up over her. She stared at me.

"...Alright, I guess you're going to leave me then." I got up and turned away from her. She walked over to me and grabbed me around my waist. "Do you really think that I want to run away from you?"

I looked down.

"Carlisle Cullen, why on Earth would I want to do that? I love you, and of course I want to be with you!" With that she kissed my cheek. I looked her straight in the eye grabbing her hands and entwining them with mine.

"Do you really?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Well then I must do this properly, except I don't have a ring, so please bear with me." I knelt down on one knee. "Do you, Esmé Walters, want to be my lawfully wedded wife?" She looked down at me smiling. She knelt down with me and embraced me.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"

I hugged her back, relieved she wanted me and took me as I was. We let go of each other, and I looked into her blood red eyes. "Com' on let's get you something to eat."

She smiled and walked out of the hospital with me, hand in hand.

* * *

**_So this is my first story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Please a review, and concrit is welcome with open arms! Thanks!_**


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